184 Before the Trial 2 (2/2)

”I was just telling the truth.” Ye Qingxuan looked down and toyed with the concertmaster badge on his chest. Looking up, he asked, ”What, you don’t agree? If you don’t, get a concertmaster badge and show me.”

”You Eastern b*stard…don’t go too far.”

”Eastern b*stard? Do you still remember the ninth line of the second chapter of the school rules?” Ye Qingxuan chuckled. ”What do you call me when you see me, no matter the situation?”

There was a long silence. The people stared at each other. In the end, Ryan squeezed out the words with a dark expression, ”Concertmaster Ye.”

Someone beside them forced a smile and tried to soften the tension. ”Sorry, Heather didn’t mean it that way. She just feels stressed.”

”It’s okay. I’m not the one you were annoying.” Ye Qingxuan scanned the group. ”Go back and study well. I know you’re all good kids, so be good and obedient.”

”You!” Ryan clenched his fists as his breathing grew heavier.

”Sorry, I didn’t mean that. I’m a bit stressed too.” Ye Qingxuan slowly straightened his collars and bent down to look at Ryan, then whispered in his ear, ”If you’re upset, you can hit me…coward.”

-

Unrest happened just as Ye Qingxuan had predicted. In actuality, it ended pretty quickly. After all, the executive office people were still wandering around, and Richard had not gone far. Even though the school did not forbid fighting, it was not allowed to get too out of hand in the auditorium.

Just as Ryan was about to move, Ye Qingxuan punched him in the eye and pummeled him, not giving him the chance to fight back.

The unrest ended quickly. They were pulled apart by members from the executive office and kicked out of the auditorium after being scolded.

Ye Qingxuan was totally unharmed, but Charles had helped him block some kicks while trying to stop them. Now, he sat beside the fountain pathetically like a defeated dog.

”Senior, don’t be sad. You were just wrong about some people, right?” Ye Qingxuan patted his shoulder. ”Look, I already helped you vent. Why are you still sad?”

”I just think it’s a pity.” Charles lowered his head and rubbed his nose. ”I just wanted to help them. After all, they were still willing to talk to me. I thought they were my friends, but sadly…”

Ye Qingxuan fell silent. He patted Charles’s shoulders, not knowing what to say. After a long while, he suddenly asked quietly, ”Senior, are you free tonight?”

”Huh?” Charles glanced at him in confusion.

Ye Qingxuan chuckled. Throwing an arm over his shoulder as Charles used to do, he said quietly, ”How about we work hard this time and help you graduate first?”

-

It was a night without words.

Early morning the next day, a crowd gathered soundlessly in the campus square. Bai Xi yawned and swayed amongst the crowd. Her eyes were still dazed, not yet understanding what had happened.

After staying up until midnight the last night, she was dragged out by Ye Qingxuan in the morning. It felt like she had brushed her teeth and eaten breakfast while sleepwalking, but she was still not awake. Her hair was a mess. Some parts were sticking up like a bird nest. Her short hair had gotten long at some point and she finally looked like a little girl. But sadly, she was still the sloppiest type of girl.

”Even if you don’t put on makeup, girls should at least brush their hair in the morning.” Ye Qingxuan sighed and pulled her over. He turned her around so her back was to him and held down her head so she could not move. Then he pulled a comb from his pocket—don’t ask where he had gotten this from. He felt more and more like a single mother now.

Bai Xi sleepily let Ye Qingxuan do whatever. Quickly, her messy hair became neat. Then Ye Qingxuan pulled a hair tie from her pocket and collected her hair into a bun with experience. Good, now she was clean and simple.

”Done?” Bai Xi leaned against the youth lazily. She yawned and forced her eyes open to a slit. ”Cousin.”

”Yeah?” Ye Qingxuan looked down at her.

”You feel like a sister…” Bai Xi looked up at him. ”Can you be my sister?”

Whack. Ye Qingxuan flicked her forehead, forcing her awake. ”No.”

The crowd rustled. The long-awaited principal finally appeared at the front.